Herbert Ridgeway Collins – A Living Legend

As opposed to most of the people I talk about here on BoothieBarn, the subject of this post is a man with no historical connection to the Lincoln assassination. Even further afield from my modus operandi, the subject of this post is also very much alive. In fact, this week he celebrated his birthday. My reasoning for departing from my ‘regularly scheduled assassination programming’ is to highlight a very unique man who has lived the most interesting life of anyone I have ever known.

To start this off, I have to admit that I only met Herb Collins for the first time less than a month ago. Through our mutual friend and researcher Jim Garrett, I had the opportunity to make the acquaintance of Mr. Collins when a group of us went exploring in his home county of Caroline County, VA. After this relatively brief introduction and tour of his historic house, I called him up and spent an entire Sunday attentively listening to this remarkable man. This weekend, I will again be driving into Virginia to spend the day learning from him. What follows is merely a small sampling of some of the unique experiences he has had and shared with me. There may be some mistakes in my narrative, as I am going from memory.

Herbert Ridgeway Collins is a native born son of Caroline County, Virginia. The house he grew up in, still owns, and has transformed into a personal museum is called Green Falls and was built in 1711. It has been in the Collins family since the 1787 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Green Falls in Caroline County, VA

Herb has furnished the house with many beautiful antiques and he can give the origin of every single one. From a mirror belonging to President James Madison to rare chairs with matching pairs in Mount Vernon, Green Falls is remarkable in its furnishings and history. Some local historical societies schedule tours of his magnificent place, while Herb occasionally gives private tours to those he catches admiring the house from the road.

Herb Collins giving a tour of his beautiful Green Falls estate

In addition to the main house, Herb also purchased a period plantation overseer’s house from a neighbor. He had the structure physically moved a few miles down the road and placed next to his house. He then painstakingly restored the very dilapidated building to its original glory and furnished it accordingly. The most amazing part, however, is that this has been what Herb Collins has done, merely in his retirement.

As a young man, Herb was always interested in history. When he joined the army as a young man, fate smiled on Herb. A secretary of a Missouri congressman bought a house opposite of Herb’s Green Falls home. Through her, Herb was able to secure a position assigned to the Pentagon. Here he was responsible for preparing the top secret briefing charts for the Secretary of the Army. He was also able to take a genealogy class through the National Archives that coincided with his love of history. When he wasn’t on duty or in class, he was working on a book of his own family’s genealogy. At the age of 22, he published it. It would be the first of many books that he would write. After six years in the army at the Pentagon, Herb was discharged. The class he had taken in genealogy made him very desirable to three different institutions, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the Smithsonian. In the end, Herb decided to join the Smithsonian where he became a junior researcher in the Smithsonian’s political history collection. He eventually made his way to the top, retiring as the Executive of the American History Museum and division chief of the political history collection. It is during this period that Herb Collins met, dined with, and acquired items from practically every President and First Lady from Harry Truman to George Bush, Sr. Here are some of the stories, both long and short, that he told me about his time at the Smithsonian:

Herb recounted to me his first trip to meet Harry Truman. The Smithsonian did not have a lot of items from Truman’s time as President. Herb traveled to Truman’s home of Independence, Missouri and met with the former President and First Lady Bess Truman. Herb’s genealogical education made him aware that he was distantly related to Bess Truman, and that both Bess and Harry Truman were related to families from Port Royal, VA (on a side note, Herb seems to know the genealogy of every old family in Virginia. His memory of families and connections is uncanny). According to Herb, Harry Truman was the kind of guy that enjoyed making a person feel uneasy. Every sentence that Herb spoke, Harry Truman would battle a response right back to him, trying to throw him off. When asked if he had any sports memorabilia to give the Smithsonian, Truman said he didn’t because he couldn’t see well to bat in baseball so they made him play umpire because you didn’t need to see to be umpire. When Herb said he didn’t have anything from Truman in the Smithsonian, Truman just answered, “Well why don’t you get something?” Eventually, Truman found that for everything he said, Herb was able to come up with an answer for him. After that he stopped acting difficult and slapped Herb on the back and invited him to see some political cartoons he had framed out in the back office. Truman enjoyed when people took punches at him like Herb had done and he had framed some of his favorite political cartoons that had mocked him when he was president. Together Herb and Harry Truman laughed and joked about them, and Truman genially offered some of his items to Herb for the Smithsonian.

When President Dwight Eisenhower died, he wanted to be buried his complete uniform. At the funeral home that was preparing the body, they found that they did not have a shirt or socks that matched his uniform. The funeral home called the military history department of the Smithsonian and asked them if they had any extra matching shirts and socks that they could have to bury Eisenhower in. As a matter of fact they did. When Herb had left the army, he donated his uniforms to the Smithsonian for his period in history. The shirt contained Herb’s laundry mark. With his blessing, the Smithsonian sent over Herb’s old shirt and socks to the funeral home. President Eisenhower was buried in Herb Collin’s issued shirt and socks.

Herb Collins became good friends with JFK’s secretary, Evelyn Lincoln. Two books in his collection are autographed copies of hers with long messages of appreciation and friendship. Evelyn Lincoln was married to a man named Harold Lincoln. Herb was unaware that Harold’s nickname was ‘Abe’ Lincoln. One day he received an invitation in the mail to attend a rally for Abe Lincoln, who was running for Congress. He ignored the mailer. Days after the event, Evelyn called Herb and asked him why he didn’t come to support her husband’s run for Congress. Herb told her that he didn’t know Harold went by Abe, and that he thought “Abe Lincoln running for Congress” was just a joke. The two had a good laugh about it.

After JFK was killed, Jackie Kennedy and others toured the country trying to raise money for a JFK museum. They traveled with exhibits about the late president to raise funds. Herb wrote to Jackie informing her that the flag that flew over the Capitol on the day of the President’s funeral was hers. She wrote him back thanking him for letting her know that. One item that went traveling to raise money was the famous Resolute desk from the Oval Office. Johnson didn’t want to use the desk as he found it too big. Those of you who have seen the movie, National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, will know that the Resolute desk plays an important part of Nicholas Cage’s clue finding. In the movie he makes his way into Oval Office and, by pulling out drawers to the right length, unlocks a secret compartment in the desk: While you may all be shocked to learn this, there is no hidden compartment in the Resolute desk. Herb Collins has taken the Resolute desk apart, “a dozen times”. He told me it all comes apart fairly easily and he helped pack it up when it went on tour to raise money for the JFK museum. When it was done touring, Herb took control of it and placed it in the collection of the Smithsonian. It stayed, on display in the Smithsonian until Carter asked for it back. According to Herb, he was out to lunch one Wednesday and when he returned to the Smithsonian he had a message from Jimmy Carter asking for the Resolute desk to be placed back into the Oval Office by Friday, as he wanted to show it off to some foreign delegates. Herb said he took it apart, had it transported over to the White House, and reassembled it for Carter in the Oval Office right on time.

Herb had the chance to meet many Presidents but he spent more time with the First Ladies. He stated that his favorite first lady was Pat Nixon. According to him she was the most down to earth. In conversations with Herb, she never said, “The President” or “Mr. Nixon”, it was always just, “Dick” and she invited Herb to refer to him as the same.

Herb has written over 25 books. During his time at the Smithsonian he created almost encyclopedic volumes about political flags and lanterns, as well as writing books about the transportation methods of the presidents. He was one of the first to call attention to a fall that Mary Todd Lincoln suffered in a carriage accident that caused her to suffer recurring dizzy spells that may have exasperated her mental decline.

Herb has a credit in the Lincoln assassination book by Dorothy and Phillip Kunhardt entitled , Twenty Days. He recalled when they came to the Smithsonian and wanted to photograph the conspirators’ hoods and jail keys. At one point, they wanted a picture of what was thought to be Mary Surratt’s hood. Looking around, Herb couldn’t find a female bust to place the hood over. In a pinch he saw a bust of Henry Clay, Kentucky’s noted politician who served multiple times as Speaker of the House and was John Quincy Adams’ Secretary of State. According to Herb, Henry Clay had a small, feminine enough looking head to pass as Mary Surratt’s. So, Herb slipped the hood onto Henry Clay’s bust and the Kunhardts photographed it. Sadly, that particular shot did not make it into their Twenty Days book.

There were other stories and insights Herb shared with me from his time with the Smithsonian, but these are the main ones I can remember for now. Herb is an unending fountain of information and I am looking forward to the many conversations I will have with him in the future.

UPDATE:

Yesterday I once again spent the day with Herb. We visited the Caroline County library in Bowling Green, VA where Herb has his Herbert Collins Room. The room holds his massive collection of books about genealogy, Virginia history, and the history of Caroline county. It is a private research room accessible by appointment only. After that Herb and I traveled to nearby Essex County to visit an antique store in Tappahannock that he regularly purchases items from. Herb’s only purchase for the day was a copper kettle that he said would match one he already had at Green Falls. While at the antique store, Herb openly talked with other patrons and helped them pick out pieces. Through these conversations with strangers, I met the president of the Restore Port Tobacco organization. He was pleasantly surprised that I knew about the Chimney House in Port Tobacco, behind which George Atzerodt’s carriage shop was purported to be. Apparently the Chimney House is on the market now. After this we traveled back to Herb’s home and subsequently ended our day together. The following is some of the pictures I took yesterday:

The Herbert Collins room at the Caroline County Library

Herb Collins researching in his room

The left image is what the Overseer’s house (mentioned above) looked like before it was moved to Green Falls and restored. The right image is what the house looked like while renovations were underway. The house is a sight to see today.

24 thoughts on “Herbert Ridgeway Collins – A Living Legend”

How wonderful, Dave! What a facinating gentleman. My grandmother was from Caroline County – but I never heard of Green Falls. I’m only 30 minutes from Caroline County and 40 minutes from Garrett’s Farm. Thanks for introducing me to this wonderful gentleman and his fantastic stories! You are lucky to have met him!

There used to be a Herb Collins that I met through the Lincoln Group of D.C. about thirty years ago. I never really had a chance to talk with him, and the years may have changed his face for me. If this is the same man, I wish I had made friends with him to learn all the wonderful history he has to tell.

Regarding the carriage accident Mr. Collins mentions, Robert Lincoln felt his mother never totally recovered from it. The cause of the accident was that suddenly the coachman’s seat collapsed, he was thrown to the ground, and the frightened horses then bolted. Because of the way the driver’s seat had become detached, there was some speculation that this actually was some sort of assassination attempt against Abraham Lincoln (who was not in the carriage at the time). Possibly someone had purposely loosened the bolts on the driver’s seat. No definitive cause has ever been determined. Mary either leaped or fell from the carriage, and she hit the back of her head very hard on a rock. The injury later became infected, and she was bedridden for about three weeks. She did suffer headaches before this incident, but apparently they occurred with increasing frequency in subsequent years after it.

I believe that a few years later, the widow MAry Lincoln visited a Manhattan doctor for treatment of her back injury. If my faulty memory serves me right, she stayed at the Grand Central Hotel. That hotel was right next door to the site (or part of the site!) of the old Winter Garden Theatre, which Edwin Booth leased for a few years, and where, in Nov. of ’65, the Booth brothers performed in their benefit performance of “Julius Caesar” to raise money for the erection of a statue of William Shakekspeare. (Sam Chester was in that play, as well as in Edwin’s acting company, if, again, memory serves me correctly.)

Herb has written two books that I think you would enjoy. The first is Presidents on Wheels, which documents the various transportation methods of the Commander in Chiefs. I would think you’d enjoy the early chapters on the horses and carriages. In the same vein, Herb also had a booklet published called The White House Stables and Garages. Herb actually gave me a couple copies of this booklet and I’d be happy to mail you one if you email me your address. I just know you’re interested in Lincoln’s horses and stables. Let me know.

I am thrilled and bit overwhelmed to come across your posts on Herbert Collins. My grandfather has a copy of Herbert Ridgeway Collins’ first book as my grandfather is not only kin to Herbert Collins but also included in the book, as is my mother. I am quite interested in learning more. Could you help connect me to Mr. Herbert Collins? My grandfather is John Walter Collins III and at 91 yrs old, I hope to make this connection sooner than later. Thank you in advance for your info which will hopefully lead to a powerful family connection. My best!

I am a distant relative of Mr. Collins, descended on my Mother’s side from the Fullers, the Wrights, the Greens, the Broadduses and a bunch more. I’m bringing my Mother up to Caroline for our third visit to hear Mr Collins’ lecture this coming Tuesday. We hope to find out more on our ancestry. I’ve found out MANY interesting connections on Ancestry.com, most importantly, a distant grandfather was the great uncle of George Washington and my ninth great grandfather, Edward Fuller was a passenger on the Mayflower! On my last visit to Caroline we actually found a house once owned by my GGG Grandfather, Lafayette Titus Fuller. The estate is named Aberfoyle and I noticed that the present owner had put on a new roof. Thanks goodness! I wish I could own it some day! Loved driving around Green Falls. So beautiful. My grandfather was Raymond Fuller and his mother, Alice Broaddus Fuller was the daughter of Dr. CC Broaddus and Ida Samuel Broaddus. Would love to find out more on him. Alice’s husband was Cleveland Green Fuller, whose grandmother was Subburnah Hawkins Wright Green, my connection to George Washington. This is ALL so very fascinating and we can’t wait to hear Mr. Collins lecture and hope to find as much information as we can on our ancestors! Thanks for your wonderful blog!
David Miller

My name is Jourdan Burke and I am a descendant of Thomas Burke who is the name you placed of the grave marker near your home in Caroline County, Virginia. I am trying to find out where the Ordinary (tavern) that the Burk family owned is located. In addition, are you somehow related to the Burk(e) family?

Henry Burke owned over 600 acres of land in that area. He had a ferry on the river and later built Burk’s (later Burke’s) Bridge

Being a big history buff, I happen to be out exploring this past Saturday since I was house-sitting at Woodlawn Plantation (est. 1756) in KW County and came across Green Falls in Caroline County. It was so stunningly preserved and breathtakingly beautiful that I turned my little Cruiser around and pulled onto a gravel road to capture a few photos. As I was waiting for a truck to pass to pull back out onto the pavement, the truck stopped. Thinking that it was the owner of the drive on which I was parked, I pulled onto the pavement to let the gentleman pass. He cut me off. I pulled up driver-to-driver with him, rolled down the window, held up my camera, and explained that I had meant no harm, that I was just taking pictures of the beauty on the hill. He told me to drive on up through the yard to get better pictures. I asked if he was sure the owners wouldn’t mind and he replied that he’d be right behind me. The man was an amazing wealth of information. He spent over an hour telling me about the house, the outbuildings, where the slaves quarters used to be, and even about the history of the family and other surrounding houses and families. It wasn’t until the near end of our conversation (we were interrupted by a friend of his pulling up into the drive) that I learned that HE was the owner of Green Falls and that it was HIS family that had built it and owned it since its creation. What an amazing man! I can’t wait to start reading some of Mr. Collins’ books (searching for one online is how I happened upon this site). This kind, wise, gentle, Southern man, gave me his name and phone number and invited me to his opening exhibit of Indian artifacts on November 1st. To top it off, he asked me to hand deliver a message to my landlord, who turned out to be a dear friend of his. This was one story I was sure to write about in my journal. Truly a great man. I love to tell you more of our conversation but I have to run now. I have to deliver that message. I feel a little bit like the Pony Express. 🙂

Nice story! The photo of Herb smiling in front of the almost-restored Edmund Pendleton cottage was taken by me! That was a very nice day and he wanted to make sure the bricks from Tod’s Tavern at Villeboro were in it with him. I think I am standing under one of the mulberry trees planted there around 1711. The twin photos share the last page of Caroline County: A Pictorial History with photos of Phil Sheridan’s rare Purple Pitcher Plants at Meadowview Biological Research Station. These photos and their captions celebrate history and offer hope for the future!

Herb Collins has a new book coming out this winter called Country Crossroads: Rural Life in Caroline County, VA. It is the most complete history ever written on Caroline County families, houses, sayings, folklore, schools, maps, from the 1600’s. Contact Caroline Library, Inc. for details.

When visiting Herb, I have been privy to read parts of his newest book. It is a wonderful account of Caroline County’s history and folklore. I especially like the section of old sayings, which Herb enjoyed teaching to me. His new book will definitely go on my shelf.

I’m working on a artistic inquiry about quilts. I found his book “Threads of History: Americana Recorded on cloth” very insightful. It’s an older book I wish it contained more color plates. This was an enjoyable read before added his book to my bibliography.

My father Robert Pitt’s family lived down the road a ways! When ever we are there to visit him we always admire this beautiful home! My family knows Mr. Collins well! My mother’s family also was raised in the same area!

My great grandfather and great grandmother lived in the Over Seer’s cottage that Herb moved and restored. He is such a gift to the historical community and I’m grateful that I have had a chance to visit there. My youngest son has become interested in family geneology and that makes reliving old times even more dear!

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Dave & Kate’s Speaking Engagements in 2018

Want to come heckle BoothieBarn authors Dave Taylor and Kate Ramirez in person? Here are some of our public speaking engagements planned for the future.

Date: Sunday, March 18, 2018Location: Jarrettsville Branch of Harford County Public Library (3722 Norrisville Road, Jarrettsville, MD 21084)Time: 2:00 pmSpeech: Beware the People Whistling: The Final Days of Mary SurrattSpeaker: Kate RamirezDescription: In this first person reenactment, Kate will take on the role of Mary Surratt as she contemplates the events that have put her prison and on trial in the assassination President Abraham Lincoln.Cost: Free

Date: Saturday, April 7, 2018Location: Colony South Hotel and Conference Center (7401 Surratts Rd, Clinton, MD 20735)Time: AfternoonSpeech: The Death of Abraham Lincoln: Reactions from a Divided NationSpeaker: Dave TaylorDescription: The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln was an unprecedented event in American history. From coast to coast, the dramatic news resonated deeply with people from all walks of life. Many cried for their fallen leader, while others privately condoned his death. The differing reactions to Lincoln’s assassination paint a vivid picture of how a divided nation mourns.Cost: Dave’s speech is one of several that will be presented as part of the Surratt House Museum’s annual Lincoln assassination conference. The cost for the whole conference, including three meals and the evening’s entertainment is $185. More details and information on registration can be found at http://www.surrattmuseum.org/annual-conference

Date: Thursday, April 26, 2018Location: Jarrettsville Branch of Harford County Public Library (3722 Norrisville Road, Jarrettsville, MD 21084)Time: 6:30 pmSpeech: Inter Arma Silent Leges: The Wrongful Execution of Mary E. SurrattSpeaker: Kate RamirezDescription: In this scholarly speech, Kate analyzes the evidence that was used to convict and execute Mary Surratt for her role in the death of Lincoln. Kate discusses the holes in the prosecution’s case and the reasonable doubt that exists in her conviction.Cost: Free

Date: Sunday, May 6, 2018Location: Tudor Hall (17 Tudor Ln, Bel Air, MD 21015)Time: 2:00 pmSpeech: Shakespearean Daughter: The Life of Edwina BoothSpeaker: Kate RamirezDescription: Edwina Booth was the only child of tragedian Edwin Booth and his first wife, Mary Devlin. In her speech, Kate will discuss the events that shaped Edwina’s life and how her life mirrored the Shakespearan characters her father enacted on stage. More information will be posted later at: http://spiritsoftudorhall.blogspot.com/2016/11/make-plans-to-visit-tudor-hall-in-2017_7.htmlCost: $5.00 cash for the talk and a tour of Tudor Hall

Date: Sunday, May 20, 2018Location: Tudor Hall (17 Tudor Ln, Bel Air, MD 21015)Time: 2:00 pmSpeech: Joseph Booth: The Youngest Brother of John Wilkes BoothSpeaker: Dave TaylorDescription: Of all of the Booth brothers, it was only the youngest Booth, Joseph Adrian who shunned the spotlight. Born into a family of actors, young Joseph only briefly entered the family profession before realizing he exited the stage for good. While far less is known about Joseph than his famous (and infamous) brothers, the details we we do know paint a fascinating tale of an enigmatic brother. In his speech, Dave will examine the life of Joseph Adrian Booth and the impact Lincoln’s assassination had on his life. More information will be posted later at: http://spiritsoftudorhall.blogspot.com/2016/11/make-plans-to-visit-tudor-hall-in-2017_7.htmlCost: $5.00 cash for the talk and a tour of Tudor Hall

Date: Sunday, September 9, 2018Location: Tudor Hall (17 Tudor Ln, Bel Air, MD 21015)Time: 2:00 pmSpeech: Shakespearean Daughter: The Life of Edwina BoothSpeaker: Kate RamirezDescription: Edwina Booth was the only child of tragedian Edwin Booth and his first wife, Mary Devlin. In her speech, Kate will discuss the events that shaped Edwina’s life and how her life mirrored the Shakespearan characters her father enacted on stage. More information will be posted later at: http://spiritsoftudorhall.blogspot.com/2016/11/make-plans-to-visit-tudor-hall-in-2017_7.htmlCost: $5.00 cash for the talk and a tour of Tudor Hall

Date: Sunday, October 7, 2018Location: Tudor Hall (17 Tudor Ln, Bel Air, MD 21015)Time: 2:00 pmSpeech: Joseph Booth: The Youngest Brother of John Wilkes BoothSpeaker: Dave TaylorDescription: Of all of the Booth brothers, it was only the youngest Booth, Joseph Adrian who shunned the spotlight. Born into a family of actors, young Joseph only briefly entered the family profession before realizing he exited the stage for good. While far less is known about Joseph than his famous (and infamous) brothers, the details we we do know paint a fascinating tale of an enigmatic brother. In his speech, Dave will examine the life of Joseph Adrian Booth and the impact Lincoln’s assassination had on his life. More information will be posted later at: http://spiritsoftudorhall.blogspot.com/2016/11/make-plans-to-visit-tudor-hall-in-2017_7.htmlCost: $5.00 cash for the talk and a tour of Tudor Hall